Accused mushroom cook killer in surprise courtroom bid

Accused mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson is willing to wait on remand for more than a year in order to have her triple murder trial heard in her local community.

Patterson returned to court two weeks earlier than expected on April 22 as Magistrate Tim Walsh considered moving her trial to Melbourne or the Supreme Court for expediency.

But Patterson's barrister Colin Mandy SC insisted his client wanted to be tried in Gippsland, in regional Victoria, saying "she's content to wait" for up to 14 or 15 months on remand.

He told the court that the "proper venue" for proceedings was close to the accused's home.

It was a "matter of principle" to hold the trial in her community particularly as many of the case's intended witnesses lived in the area, he said.

Patterson appeared wearing a blue tunic and glasses with her hair tied back.

Patterson was charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder after a lunch at her Gippsland home allegedly turned deadly.

She has maintained her innocence.

Her ex-partner's parents Don and Gail Patterson died in hospital from suspected death cap mushroom poisoning in the week following the meal.

Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson also died after eating the meal. Heather's husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma.

One of Patterson's attempted murder charges relates to Reverend Wilkinson while the other charges relate to four alleged attempts against her ex-partner Simon Patterson's life.

Patterson has been in custody at Melbourne's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre since she was arrested in November 2023.

Police requested a 20 week adjournment after her November appearance to analyse a smartwatch, five iPads and a laundry list of electronics seized from Patterson's home.

She is expected to face Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court next on May 7.